The Magic Tree House Returns
by SadieKaneIsAwesome
Summary: The Magic Tree House series, rewritten for young adults. Jack is in 8th grade and Annie is in 7th, and the Tree House hasn't appeared since they were 10 and 9 year olds. It returns one dark and stormy night, and they discover that there's more to the story than going back in time. Will they be able to figure out what's really going on behind the scenes of the Magic Tree House?
1. Chapter 1

"Annie! _Annie!" _Jack called into the Frog Creek Woods. God, where was his sister? It wasn't like her to be this late. He peered into the trees, rain splashing onto green leaves, turning them darker. Water slid off his raincoat. He shivered, even though he was wearing a shirt, a sweater, and a sweatshirt, all underneath his raincoat. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Jack counted the seconds between the thunder and the next flash of lightning, all while worrying about Annie.

_1._

Where was Annie?

_2._

It wasn't like her to be this late.

_3._

Was she at one of her friends' houses?

_4._

At the library, doing homework?

_5._

Suddenly, he started to get a crazy idea.

_6._

Could it have come back?

_7._

Jack shook his head. That was impossible. It hadn't appeared since they were kids. He had started to convince himself that it was just a crazy game Annie had made up when they were younger.

_8._

He saw a flash of lightning appear behind the trees. For a split second, he thought he saw two figures in front of the woods, both wearing long robes, one with long black hair, the other with short brown hair. He shook his mind to clear the thought.

Just then, Annie came running out of the woods toward him, lugging her backpack. "Here! Jack!" she yelled over the pouring rain, tossing it to him. He barely caught it and fell backwards into the mud. "Jack? You okay?" Annie asked, bending over him. "Uhhh...," he groaned. "C'mon, we'll be late for dinner," she said, helping him up. "What're we having?" "Spaghetti," he replied, still not feeling okay after his fall. Annie grinned. "Good," she said. "After that, I have something to show you." "What is it this time?" asked Jack. Annie's grin spread wider, if that was even possible. "You'll see," she told him, vague as always. "I think you'll like this one." Annie raced up to the porch steps, placed her rain boots on the porch, and came in, the screen door slamming behind her. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" she called out. Jack followed her in, partially because he wanted to see what his crazy sister was up to, and partially because the rain was _freezing. _He thought he even felt sleet starting to come down.

* * *

"So, kids, how was school today?" Dad asked, all four family members sitting at the dining room table eating spaghetti by candlelight because the power had gone out.

"Good," Jack replied.

"Great!" Annie grinned (like always).

"Hey Mom, can I ask you a question?" asked Jack suddenly. All three people turned to look at him.

"Yes, Jack, what's bothering you?" answered his mother.

"Did you ever...see a...magical tree house in the woods?" he asked. He didn't know why, but he had to. Annie gaped at him.

His mom laughed. "I'm pretty sure, if I had, I'd remember seeing it!" Then she frowned. "Although that story does seem familiar..."

Jack's dad came back from the kitchen with a tub of ice cream. "Who wants dessert?"

* * *

Annie was pulling her boots back on when Jack stepped on to the porch. The wood was slippery and wet from the rain. Annie pushed her curly blond hair out of her face. It was soaked with rainwater and not so curly anymore. "So, Jack, are you coming?" she asked, turning to look at him. "Yes," he replied. "What do you need to show me?" Annie didn't say anything, just gestured for him to follow her, running into the woods.

Jack sighed.

Why couldn't he have a normal sister?

He followed her into the woods, until they got to the tallest oak tree. Annie pointed up.

_No, _Jack thought. _That's impossible._

"No," he said out loud.

Annie nodded. "Yes," she insisted.

On the front of the tree, was a rope ladder hanging down from the Magic Tree House.

It had returned.


	2. Chapter 2

A girl with long black hair crowned with a golden circlet stuck her head out the window and waved to Jack and Annie.

"What are you two waiting for?" she laughed. "It _is _your tree house, is it not?"

A boy with short curly brown hair and a green robe joined the girl at the window. "Technically, it's Morgan's," he corrected her.

"Teddy, I knew that!" the girl said. "You don't have to correct me on everything! Now, are you two coming up?"

Annie was already climbing up the ladder.

"Hey! Teddy!" she called.

Teddy waved. "Hello, Annie!" he called back.

In a daze and with his mouth still open, Jack reached for the rope and put his foot on the first rung of the ladder. It was wet from the rain, but dry enough that he and Annie could safely climb up. Or at least, so he thought. He grasped his right hand on the rope at the top rung, reached to put his left foot up, and slipped. He was only hanging on by his hand, the knuckles of which were turning white.

"Jack!" Annie called, noticing that he had slipped. She reached out her hand for him to take, but they were too far apart. "Here!" the girl, Kathleen, called. She pulled out-a stick? No. A wand, elegantly carved. It looked sort of like Harrieta's wand from the _Henry Painter _series. Except this wand was real.

Kathleen aimed the point at him and said a spell.

_"Subvolo!" _she shouted.

Jack felt himself being lifted up and into the tree house. He floated through the doorway and, just before the spell wore off, turned so he didn't bump into Annie. Except he crashed into Teddy. Lying on the floor, Teddy tried to lift Jack off himself. "Get...off...me," grunted Teddy.

"Right, sorry," said Jack, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes.

"We haven't seen you guys in forever!" exclaimed Annie. She and Kathleen hugged, and then Annie started asking a storm of questions.

_Oh no, _Jack thought.

"How have you been? How's Camelot? Have you been there recently? How's your selkie family? We just did a unit on mythology, although it was Greek not...well, I'm not sure what kind of myth selkies are, but-"

Kathleen held up a hand to stop Annie.

"We need your help," she told them. "And this time, it is serious."


End file.
